Editing Nathaniel Rochester (section)

===Military, politics, and business===
In 1775, as the Revolution approached, Rochester was named to the Committee of Safety for [[Orange County, North Carolina|Orange County]]. According to Rochester, his duties necessitated him to "promote revolutionary spirit among the people, provide arms and ammunition, make collections for the people of Boston, and prevent the sale of East India teas."{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}} On August 20 of that year, he attended the [[Third North Carolina Provincial Congress|Third Provincial Congress]] as a representative of Hillsborough. Rochester was appointed a [[Major (rank)|major]] in the North Carolina [[militia]], and served as justice of the peace and [[paymaster]] of the battalion of [[minutemen]] in the district of Hillsborough. The following year, he was assigned command of two infantry and one cavalry company. He was tasked with following Colonel James Thackston in pursuit of [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Tories]] marching to join the British at Wilmington. En route, his force captured five hundred Tories retreating from the [[Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge]].

In 1776, Rochester represented Orange County in the [[Fourth North Carolina Provincial Congress|Fourth Provincial Congress]] and was elevated to the rank of colonel in the [[North Carolina Line]]. Due to illness, however, Rochester was rendered unfit for military duty and had to resign his command. His role in politics was not affected, and in 1777 he was elected to the [[North Carolina General Assembly of 1777|North Carolina General Assembly]], where he served as county clerk. In addition, Rochester was appointed [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]] of the North Carolina militia. Rochester was also made commissioner in charge of building and managing an [[Weapon|arms]] [[factory]] and courthouse, and assisted in establishing an academy in the Hillsborough area.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.php/document/csr13-0413 | title=Documenting the American South: Colonial and State Records of North Carolina |website=docsouth.unc.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.php/document/csr13-0510|title = Documenting the American South: Colonial and State Records of North Carolina|website=docsouth.unc.edu}}</ref>

In 1778 Rochester resigned and entered a mercantile venture with Colonel Thomas Hart, a notable and wealthy merchant and land speculator, and James Brown. Rochester began to invest his earnings into real estate, a practice he continued throughout his life. With the British Army's imminent occupation of Hillsborough, Rochester moved to Philadelphia where he was almost immediately stricken with smallpox. After a lengthy recovery, he joined Hart in [[Hagerstown, Maryland]], where the two became partners in a flour mill, a nail and rope factory, a bank, and a farm.

Rochester remained in Maryland for thirty years, where he served one term in the [[Maryland General Assembly]] and two years as [[postmaster]]. He was elected as a judge in 1797 but resigned, recognizing that he did not have the proper legal training. Rochester served as [[Washington County, Maryland|Washington County]]'s Sheriff from 1804 to 1806,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.whilbr.org/Rochester/index.aspx|title=Sheriff Nathaniel Rochester's Records, Washington County, 1804-1806|website=www.whilbr.org|accessdate=November 6, 2022}}</ref> a presidential elector, and vestryman of [[Saint John's Church (Hagerstown, Maryland)|Saint John's Church]]. In 1807, Rochester helped found the Hagerstown Bank, serving as its first president.